Surrounded
Surrounded is a song by Dream Theater. It is the fourth song from their second album, Images and Words. Personnel * Mike Portnoy - Drums * John Petrucci - Guitar * John Myung - Bass * Kevin Moore - Keyboard, lyrics * James LaBrie - Vocals Lyrics Morning comes too early And night time falls too late And sometimes all I want to do is wait The shadow I've been hiding in has fled from me today I know it's easier To walk away than look it in the eye But I will raise a shelter to the sky And here beneath this star tonight I'll lie She will slowly yield the light As I awaken from the longest night Dreams are shaking set sirens waking up tired eyes With the light the memories all rush into his head By a candle stands a mirror of his heart and soul she dances She was dancing through the night above his bed And walking to the window He throws the shutters out against the wall And from an ivory tower hears her call 'Let light surround you' It's been a long, long time He's had awhile to think it over In the end he only sees the change Light to dark Dark to light Light to dark Dark to light Heaven must be more than this When angels waken with a kiss Sacred hearts won't take the pain But mine will never be the same He stands before the window His shadow slowly fading from the wall And from an ivory tower hears her call 'Let the light surround you' Once lost but I was found When I heard the stained glass shatter all around me I sent the spirits tumbling down the hill But I will hold this one on high above me still She whispers words to clear my mind I once could see but now at last I'm blind I know it's easier To walk away than look it in the eye But I had given all than I could take And now I've only habits left to break Tonight I'll still be lying here surrounded In all the light Analysis Surrounded is one of Dream Theater's more abstract songs. The exact meaning of the lyrics has eluded fans since its release. The song at one time was dedicated to Arthur Ashe, a tennis player who died of AIDS. The general tone of the lyrics is spiritual, though no literal meaning can be ascertained. Tone Surrounded is an upbeat progressive ballad, with a focus on guitar and vocal melodies. The song never becomes heavy, though it is at times fast. Live Performances Compared to many of the songs on Images and Words, performances of Surrounded have been rare. Dream Theater performed the song very scarcely, though it has recently seen a rise in popularity. The reason the band hasn't played it often may be because it is a "Kevin Moore song" though they routinely play other songs he has penned such as Pull me Under. Live performances of the song may vary wildly from the album version, often with extended lengths and atmospheric solos. On occasion, alternate live versions have heavily quoted the song "Sugar Mice" by Marillion, to the point of LaBrie even singing some of the lyrics from that song, as well as quoting the guitar solo from the song "Mother" by Pink Floyd. Jordan Rudess is also known to play keytar during live performances of Surrounded. During the Chaos In Motion 2007-2008 tour, Dream Theater performed an extended version running at 15 minutes. Appearances * Images and Words - Original recorded version * Live at the Marquee - Live version (European release only) * Chaos in Motion - Live version with "Sugar Mice" * Images and Words 15th Anniversary Performance - Live version * Images and Words Demos - Pre-production demo version * New York City 3/4/93 - Live version Category:Songs Category:Images and Words era